Contract agents, similarly to temporary agents, are EU personnel working for any EU institution on a fixed-term contract. According EPSO and the EU civil service portal, there are two sub-categories of contract agent.
The first covers those who are hired to work: in Commission Directorates-General to do manual or administrative support-service tasks; in Commission Offices attached to a Directorate-General, such as the two Offices for Infrastructure and Logistics in Brussels and Luxembourg and the Paymasters Office; in Agencies; in Commission Representations and Delegations. Contract agent of this type enjoy longer-term employment prospects, with an initial contract running for a maximum period of five years and renewable for a maximum of five years.
The contract can be converted into a contract of indefinite duration. The second sub-category covers contract agents that can be hired to work in Commission's DGs dealing with tasks other than manual and administrative support tasks. That is to say, they are recruited temporarily to replace officials absent due to illness, maternity leave, etc.; as a response to acute staff shortages at times of intense work pressure; to undertake work for a temporary period providing additional capacity in specialised fields where officials with the required skills are not available.
Contract agent of this type has short-term employment prospects, working on the basis of contracts running up to a maximum of three years. The minimum length of contract is three months.
See also:
CAST (Contract Agent Selection Tool | Temporary Agent
Related links:
EPSO CAST Demystified - Info Webcast | EPSO CAST Exams Facebook page | Salary of EU Officials and Civil Servants | EU Officials | Administrators (AD) | Assistants (AST)